Back To You
by ndobrevah
Summary: [Set after 5x22] After the death of her most loved one, Elena will have to face her grief head on and accept that he is truly gone. But what happens when a new spell is put into place and Damon is forced back in time to the night he was shot in 1864, waking up as a human instead of a vampire? Will a once in a lifetime love be able to survive the complications of time?
1. Prologue

Hey everyone :) so this morning, I decided I wanted to created my own little version of events after 5x22, and I came up with this crazy idea. I know it's a little confusing and probably doesn't make too much sense, but I'm excited about exploring the idea. If you don't fully understand it, feel free to let me know and I'll try my best to explain it. I did a lot of research to make sure I got everything right, making up a few bits here and there :P Anyway, I hope you all like it! Please let me know if you do by leaving me a review!

* * *

_Back to you_  
_It always comes around_  
_Back to you_  
_I tried to forget you_  
_I tried to stay away_  
_But it's too late _

* * *

"Do you think it'll hurt?" Bonnie said, peering up at the bright light that was about to engulf them.

Damon had endured years of physical pain. Neck broken, gun shot, punched, thrown into a wall, you name it. But all of that didn't compare to the heavy ache in his heart, knowing that he would never see Elena again. So, the answer to her question was more painful than anything in the world. He looked over at Bonnie. He wasn't the only one leaving people behind, the only one sacrificing himself for the ones he loved. Bonnie has made the ultimate sacrifice by bringing everyone back- except for Damon. He squeezed her hand.

"I don't-" Before he could finish his sentence. The bright light swallowed them whole, sending tingles up and down Damon body. His eyes stung from the lights, so he shut them. He could feel himself being dragged upwards, lying on his back. He could still feel Bonnie's clasp around his own hand. After a moment or so, the light had dimmed, and he was able to open his eyes. When he did, he was surprised to find himself standing in the Salvatore Boarding House. Bonnie was no longer by his side. He looked around to see all of his loved ones sitting in the living room, mourning the loss of Bonnie and himself. Stefan was sitting in the armchair by the fireplace, staring into the flames. His face was wet with tears, apparently blocking out Caroline's words of comfort. She knelt by him on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Enzo and Alaric stood by the drinking cabinet, pouring themselves a glass of bourbon. Damon wished he could hear what they were saying- but he couldn't. He looked at Alaric, whose lips moved as if to say "To Damon" before they clinked glasses. His eyes moved towards the couch, where Tyler and Matt were consoling Jeremy. Much like Stefan, his face was blank, floods of tears streaming down his face. Damon looked around. His eyes searched for Elena, and he found her sitting on the steps outside the threshold of the door. She was curled into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably into her knees. He felt the urge to walk over to her, but he knew there was no point. Damon looked around, and smiled to himself. He loved every single person in that room, more than he could say. As much as he wished he could be there, he didn't regret his decision to sacrifice himself for them. "Don't miss me too much" he said before it was too late. He closed his eyes, thinking that he would be once again swept up into nothingness. But he wasn't. Confused, he looked around. What was happening? Was he just a ghost?

"Hello Damon." Damon turned around to see someone he thought he had been rid of for good- Silas' lover, Qetsyia.

"Qetsyia" he said.

"It's Tessa, remember?" she smirked.

"What are you doing here? Or what am I doing here?" he questioned hastily.

"Hello to you too Damon. I bet you thought you'd never see me again."

Damon narrowed his eyes. What was going on?" Qetsiyah detected the shocked and confused expression on his face and smiled.

"Let me tell you a little story, Damon. You see, after I created the spell for immortality all those years ago, the witches saw me as a traitor for upsetting the balance of nature by creating immortals. But another group of witches, who are known as the Traveler's today, thought they could use their pure magic to create great things like the way I had created immortality- so I created a spell that prevented them from settling and harvesting their power."

"You…" Damon said slowly. "You put the spell on the travellers?"

"After the travellers found out, they killed me, where I was forced to spend an eternity on the other side, watching as Silas refused to take the cure to spend with Amara. Anyway, after Bonnie dropped the veil to the other side, I came back to find that the travellers were planning to wipe all magic that they deemed impure from the earth, which meant the extinction of the Other Side. So that's when I decided to create another spell that reversed the creation of vampires, making it so they never existed. So, when each vampire was swept out of the Other Side, they would wake up as their human self, forgetting everything that happened to them prior to turning into a vampire. That way, Silas and I would wake up as humans, and I can kill Amara before he gives her the immortality spell."

Damon stood in shock at the information he had just heard, trying to comprehend it all. Wake up as a human, forgetting everything that happened after turning into a vampire?

"So that means…. I'll wake up as a human, when I was shot in 1864?"

"That's exactly that it means."

Damon looked around at the people sitting in his living room. "What does it mean for all of them?"

"Because they passed through the anchor before getting swept up, they will not wake up in the time that they were turned. Instead, they became humans when they passed through the anchor."

Damon stood in disbelief. He couldn't believe what Qetsiyah had just told him. So when he passed through her, he would wake up in the middle of a muddy track, shot down in the attempt to save Katherine, while Stefan and Elena were humans in the present day, believing Damon to be dead?

"You are they last person on the now non-existent other side, Damon so once I pass through you, I'll wake up with Silas in 500BC, and you'll wake up in 1864." Qetsiyah said, a smirk upon her face as she began to extend her arms towards him.

"Wait!" Damon said, stepping away from her frantically. "Is there any way for me to make it back here?"

Qetsiyah sighed. "Didn't I tell you once before that the universe was working against you Damon?"

"Qetsiyah, listen to me. Please. You created this spell so that you could be with your true love Silas again, right?"

Qetsiyah rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"I know you said that the universe is working against me and hell, maybe it is. But I'm not going to let it tell me who I can and can't love because I love Elena Gilbert dammit and I'm not about to let the universe decide it's time to walk away. So, you're gonna figure out a way to get me back to them. You are the most powerful witch there ever was, after all."

Qetsiyah narrowed her eyes, glancing at Damon, then Stefan, and then at Elena. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright Damon, I'll make you a deal. I can't stop you from becoming a human again; the spell has already been done. But, I can stop you from losing your memories when you wake up. How's that?"

"How is that gonna help me get back to them?" Damon said frantically.

"I'll see you soon Damon" Qetsiyah scorned, before placing her hands on his shoulders as Damon passed through her and was once again forced into nothingness.

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I hope you enjoyed reading! If you did, PLEASE do let me know, reviews really really do make my day! x


	2. Okay?

**Hope you guys like the new chapter :) pleaseee do leave me a review or I wont know whether or not to continue! Thankyou to those of you who followed, faved, and reviewed, it means so so much to me! **

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When Alaric walked into Damon's room that morning, he was surprised to find it deserted. The previous day, she had spent the entire day lying in his bed- not even bothering to eat anything or speak when she was spoken to.

"Elena?" Alaric walked into the bathroom, the closet- but she was nowhere to be found.

Ric descended the stairs to find Stefan on the phone, yelling angrily into his device.

"It's been one freaking day, for gods sake. My brother died yesterday, and your asking me for money to reconstruct the place of his death? Are you kidding me right now?" With that, he jabbed his finger angrily at the 'end call button' and threw his phone onto the couch. Caroline quickly picked the phone up and walked swiftly past Alaric before redialing the number. Alaric cleared his throat.

"I know you're not really in the mood to talk right now Stefan, but have you seen Elena?"

Stefan merely shook his head.

"Look Stefan. I understand how hard this is on you-"

"I'm fine Ric."

"So if you want me to deal with all the financial matters-"

"I said I'm fine Ric" Stefan said, his voice slightly stern.

Ric nodded and proceeded out of the room. He felt horrible for Stefan. He must surely feel responsible for Damon's death- but Alaric knew that it had been Damon's choice to make his sacrifice.

Ric was met by Enzo, who was lingering in the hallway- apparently eavesdropping.

"Look mate," Enzo said. Don't you think we should plan a funeral for Damon? Since Stefan isn't exactly 'in the mood'…"

"Now's not the time, Enzo. Stefan and Elena are still in shock- it would be wrong to make them re-live the tragic events."

"Yeah you're probably right."

"I appreciate it though, buddy."

"How's Elena holding up?" Enzo asked.

Alaric sighed. "I don't know. She hasn't spoken a word since that night."

Enzo nodded.

"Look Alaric" he said gently. "I know we barely know each other, but…" Enzo placed a hand on Alaric's shoulder and half smiled at him.

Ric nodded in acknowledgement, trying his best to fight back tears.

"Do you really think he's… gone?" Enzo asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know, man. All we can hope for is the best."

* * *

**Damon's POV**

When Damon opened his eyes, he was staring into the night sky; dazzling stars surrounding the perfectly round-lit moon. Suddenly, he felt a searing pain in his right shoulder and he jolted up. He pulled his bloody collar off of his shoulder- revealing a bullet lodged inside his flesh. He winced at the severe agony. He hadn't felt that much pain since, well, this very moment, 150 years ago. He finally managed to sit up, his shoulder still throbbing. He looked over at Stefan- who was still lying on the dirt path. His shirt was drenched in blood, his expression blank. _Is he going to wake up?_ Damon thought about what Qetsiyah had told him. Stefan was now a human, in 2014. His heart ached at the thought of his brother and Elena, presuming Damon to be dead, probably planning a funeral, burying his Camaro, cleaning out his room. His mind suddenly wondered to Katherine. If she had also been a human, that would mean she would still be running from Klaus…. but was Klaus a human or a vampire? Or a werewolf? It was Esther who had created _their_ immortality spell, not Qetsiyah- Damon's head spun just thinking about it. When the pain had ceased, Damon stood- weighing his options. He remembered that Katherine's gentlewoman was Emily, another Bennet witch. 150 years ago, when Damon had woken up after being shot, he had gone to the Fell church, and watched as the flames engulfed it. It was there that he saw Emily, who had informed him that he had let a few vampires, including Katherine, escape. Perhaps she knew a way to get him back, or rather forward? He decided that it was worth a shot- so, after ripping the hem of his shirt to create a make-shift bandage for his wound and glancing at his brother one final time, Damon made his way back towards the church.

"Damon." Damon swiveled around to see his father standing before him, a shocked yet disappointed expression upon his face. He hadn't seen his father in over 150 years- so it came as surprise to Damon that he hadn't particularly missed him quite so much. "I thought-"

"You killed me? Apparently not." Damon said angrily.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to… you know. But how could you and your brother be so foolish as to side with _them?_

_Them? Who was his father talking about? Surely not vampires…_

"Well I guess we'll never know." Damon said. "

Giuseppe nodded. "And your brother?"

Damon gulped. Was he going to tell his father the truth, or blatantly lie to his face? "He umm… never woke up." A horrified expression face came across his father's face. "Damon…"

"Look father, I don't have time for this. There's somewhere I have to be." He said, and that, he marched past his father and headed towards Mystic Falls.

* * *

Just then, Elena came barging through the door wearing a baggy T-Shirt, sweatpants- she had a blank expression on her face, and her hair in a messy bun.

"Elena!" Alaric rushed up to her.

"I've sent Enzo, Tyler and Matt to look for you- where the hell have you been?"

Elena walked swiftly past him, completely ignoring his question.

"Elena!" Alaric yelled. "Answer me!"

"I went for a walk," Elena said plainly. She wasn't deliberately trying to be rude to Alaric- she loved him very much, but her heart ached so heavily that she could not so much as turn the side of her mouth up by even a fraction.

"For 5 hours?" Alaric yelled.

Elena shrugged.

Alaric sighed, remembering how hard it must be on her. "How are you holding up?" he asked kindly.

Elena shrugged again. Ric was extremely surprised that she being more rude than upset. He narrowed his eyes.

"Where's Jeremy?" Elena biting into an apple she dug out from her backpack.

"He's spending the night at Tyler's…" Alaric said slowly. "Do you wanna go see him?"

"Nah," Elena replied scrunching her nose.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Elena asked, dumfounded.

"About… you know…"

"My best friend and boyfriend dying?" Elena said simply.

"…Yeah."

Elena snickered. "They aren't _dead dead_, Ric. I mean yes, they're dead, but they aren't gone for good."

Alaric stared at her for a moment. "What do you mean, Elena?"

Elena glared at him. "Do you honestly believe that Damon would give up that easily? Come on, Alaric. It's Damon. If anything he's over their trying to find way back to us as we speak."

It took Alaric a minute to formulate his response.

"Elena…"

"I know what you're going to say, you're just in denial but I'm not Ric, okay? I mean come on, you've died a dozen times, and so has Jeremy and even Bonnie- so we'll find a way, we always do."

"Elena, there is no way this time. The only reason I was able to come back was because of my ring- and Bonnie came back because of the existence of the other side, which no longer exists and-"

"Stop, Alaric. The other side was created by a witch, right? Qetsiyah. So, another witch can find a way to bring them back. It's just about finding the right one-"

"No, Elena, we aren't finding a witch, okay? What we need to do is plan a funeral, and box his stuff up."

"No! Alaric, Damon and Bonnie aren't dead! They aren't so just stop!" Elena screamed. "Damon said he would make it back to me and he isn't going to break his promise. We are going to see him again, okay?"

Alaric stayed silent for a moment. He really did feel for the poor girl. Loosing her lover and her best friend in one blow had to be hard. He walked slowly towards her before embracing her in a warm hug.

"Okay."

* * *

As Damon neared the Fell Church, he began to smell fumes. He quickened his pace, hoping Emily hadn't left the sight yet. A sudden thought popped into his head, and he stopped in his tracks. 150 years ago, it was vampires who were burnt in the church- but if vampires didn't exist, who were they murdering?

"Damon?" He heard a familiar voice behind him. _It couldn't be_.

"Katherine."

"Damon!" she exclaimed, before wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

Damon was stunned. _This was not the Katherine he remembered._

"Are you hurt?" she asked sympathetically, her hands on his wound.

"I'm fine," Damon replied, pulling away from her touch. _This girl broke your heart. She made you believe she was in love with you for 150 years only to want your brother. She pretended to be Elena, breaking your heart again and sending you down a spiral eventuating in you killing Aaron. This is Katherine Pierce._

"What's wrong Damon? Have I said something to upset you?"

"Who's burning in there?" Damon asked harshly. _What kind of trick was Katherine playing on him, trying to smother up to him?_

Katherine gave him a confused look. "…The witches" she said slowly. "Are you sure you're okay Damon?"

"Why are they killing the witches?"

"Damon, I think we should take you inside-"

"Why are they killing the witches?" Damon yelled, his voice harsh and his face stern.

Katherine looked frightened. Genuinely frightened. It was a look Damon hadn't seen the girl wear in all the years that he'd known her.

"The council see them as dangerous. They don't want the towns people finding out about them. Emily told me that they're concocting a spell that put's everyone in danger."  
"What kind of spell?" Damon asked. He might have just lost his only ticket back to Elena.

Katherine was silent for a moment. She put her hands on his shoulder before saying, "A spell for immortality."

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**Thanks for reading guys! Pleasee do review if you like it, so I know whether or not to continue! Tell me what youre liking and what you aren't! Thanks for reading!**


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